Pet Fish

Natalie has a pink beta fish named Sushi. This is a very good likeness of him. He is a BEAUTIFUL fish. About 2 years ago her then roomies gave him to her for her birthday. Sushi is quite the traveler making many trips back and forth from Utah and California with Nats. The first trip she held his fish bowl the entire 10 hour drive! We brainstormed and came up with a better way for a fish to cross the miles. A ziploc square container with his own water in it and holes punched through the top with the raw edges out. He gets put in a box with a towel around it and wah-la!--traveling fish.

Natalie was too afraid he wouldn't make the trip back when she started grad school this time, so I am now a grandma to her fish. He is the cutest thing. When I come down in the morning he just wiggles and swims loop-di-loops around his bowl. He plays a game to eat, though. You have to coax him to the top and then drop each beta bit one by one. But he loves the attention and responds when I talk to him. I didn't really think that fish were great pets because they were kind of non-responsive--but 'oh contrare'! They DO have personalities and feelings!

He loves it when I put my finger on the glass right next to him and pretend to pet him. This morning when I was doing that, I remembered something from when I was a little girl:

My younger sister, Lisa, was in a kindergarten program and recited a poem about a goldfish. This was a really BIG deal. I remember the poster of the goldfish she held while she did her part--it was about as big as she was and so colorful. She practiced over and over and over again. My mom went through it with her many times in a day so she would be sure to get it just right! Funny thing is, after all these years I still remembered the poem too as in a 'blink' it came rushing back:

My darling little goldfish

Hasn't any toes

He swims around without a sound

And bumps his hungry nose.

He can't get out to play with me

Nor I get in to him.

Although I say, "Come out and play!"

And he, "Come in and swim!"

Okay. I am a pet nut. It is true. My family knows this about me. Guess I'm going to go put Finding Nemo on and listen to it while I'm working around the house!